Improvement in propulsion of vessels



H. P. MILLER. I Improvement in Propulsion of Vesse s.

UNITED STATES PATENT... OFFICE.

HEZEKIAH r. MILLER, OF PADUGAH, KENTUCKY.

IMPROVEMENT IN PROPULSION OF VESSELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 131,770, dated October 1, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEZEKIAH P. MILLER, of the city of Paducah, McUracken county,

. and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Propelling Steam-Boats on Canals, Rivers, 860.; and I do hereby declare that the following, taken in connection with the drawing forming part of this specification, is such a full, clear, and exact description thereof as will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same.

In the drawing like letters indicate similar parts, and Figure 1 is a longitudinal section v of a vessel embodying my improvements, and

. tracting or narrowing the mouth of the well in which the wheel revolves that water shall be admitted thereto in quantities proportion-' ate to the amount thrown out through the flume, discharge, or chute.

Referring to the drawing, W represents a a paddle-wheel of any approved construction, of which H H are the buckets and G the shaft, power being applied to .the shaft in the usual way. This wheel W is placed in what may be called, for convenience, a well, A, situated midway between the sides of the boat, and aft of the center thereof. To prevent spray, &c., being thrown into the body of the boat this well A is covered by a shield, I, of suitable material and in suitable form, and secured at w and 3 so as to form a water-tight joint. From the wellA a flume, waste-water way, or chute, B, extends to the stern of the boat for the purpose of affording an exit to thewater acted on by the wheel. This flume or water-way is made staunch andtight, so as not to admit water into the interior of the boat. The bottom thereof is formed of two slopes, (l and D,

making an angle, M, at their point of union.

The first or 0 starts from about beneath the center of the wheel, and rises somewhat rap usually constructed do.

idly to M, whence the second, or D, slopes very gently to the stern. The top E may be made level, or it may be parallel to D. This flume or way is of the same width as the wheel and is entirely closed in, the bottom thereof, D, being at a distance from the bottom N of the boat, proportionate to the size of the boat.

It has been usual with boats having a wellhole in which the wheel worked, for the well to open full size or width at the bottom. This plan is objectionable and faulty, as it is apt to flood the wheel, especially when the boat is loaded down. This I avoid by contracting the mouth a of the well, so as generally to admit water into the well only about as fast as the wheel throws it out. This relation of the inlet and exit I may vary somewhat either way, but I prefer to keep them proportionate. For this purpose I make the keel O O unbroken from stem to stern, excepting under the wheel,

where an opening or mouth, a, into the well is made, which is of the'width of the well.

The front of this opening should be formed with an incline or curve, as shown at F. To

' this'opening a I may add gates, so as to regulate its size still further, if necessary.

The rudder L is hung in the usual way, the back of the rudder post, opposite the mouth of the flume or way, being beveled off or wedgeshape, so as to offer no resistance to the water forced through the way. So whenever the helm is at steady, neither it or the water discharged from the flume aifect each other; but if the helm be in any other position its action is positively aided by the water rushing through the flume or Way and against the rudder, so that a boat on my plan obeys the helm more readily and speedily than boats as While the boat is running the impetus of the water discharged from the flume or way aids in propelling the boat. Through the flume or way B the water follows the natural curve given it on discharge from a paddle-wheel. The wheel lifts it. and it, falling, becomes in reality a wave, or at least assumes the form thereof, its natural curve under such circumstances being shown by the dotted line B R. Upon the principle of thisnatural curve I construct my flume or way; hence, as seen, no power is expended in lifting the water over the angle M, as the water follows the same course in the flume it would were the wheel upon the side and the course of the water free afterleaving the wheel, the difference being that, in my fluine or way, after the water is thrown up, instead of falling back upon a body of water which from its nature perpetuates the curve in a series of waves, forming the swell or wash, by my plan it falls back upon a floor or slight depth of water upon the inelastic floor of the flurne, the curve is then broken, and the discharge water flows off with scarcely a ripple.

While but one wheel has been shown it is evident two could be usedone upon each side-each provided with its well and flume or discharge-way, and that the position of the wheel or wheels could be varied relatively to to the center of the boat, provided the fiurne be constructed as described.

I am aware that boats have been constructed with the wheel at or near the center, but such have no inclosed' or sloping discharge- Way or flume, simply a channel underneath formed by the prolongation of the boats sides downwardly; and further that boats with the wheel at the bow have had an inclosed flume, but such differed from mine in that the fiume or discharge-way extended from stem to stern, open at both ends, and such, in addition, were straight, not sloped or angled. In all these forms there is a constant knocking or-hammering of the waves formed by the wheel, as before described, against the bottom, which is disagreeable to those on such boat, and very trying to the frame of the boat.

With some straight flumes it has been attempted to obviate this knocking by having dasher-boards, loosely pivoted at one end, swing from the top of the flume, which should receive the blows. By my plan such inconveniences are easily and naturally avoided, because, as before explained, the water follows the natural course of the wavethrown from a Wheel, and there is no jarring or knocking therefrom.

I lay no claim to any of the forms of open or straight closed flumes or discharge-ways referred to; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A canal or other boat, provided with a water-tight paddle-wheel well, the inlet of which has an orifice, a, curved upward and rearward at F and G, for facilitating the ingress of water, substantially as described.

2. In a canal or other boat having a watertight paddle-wheel well, the outlet passage or flume B, contracted abaft the wheel and descending in its outward passage toward the stern, as and for the purpose described.

H. P. MILLER.

Witnesses:

F. F. WILBUR, E. H. BACON. 

